my 2yr old refuses to brush her teeth :( what can i do to make it fun for her ?

my 2yr old has been like it since she was born. She always turns away or crys when i brush her teeth (like its the worse pain ever) I only manage to get it in her mouth for a couple brushes..i have started giving her the toothbrush herself so she can do it next to me while i do it, but shes just not interested she chucks it on the floor whinging.I thought maybe it was the adult toothpaste that she didnt like so i got a strawberry
flavour one for her. But that didnt work!

DS did this for a few weeks until he got a letter fom the tooth fairy complete with glitter and "magic tooth brush". Apparently the tooth fairy rules are that if you don't brush your teeth then she takes away all of your sweets but if you do brush your teeth you are allowed to have a few sweets the next day.

Hi
My Ds went through the same thing and now he is ok most of the time (now 28 months).

Things we tried were (some more successful than others )
- using electric toothbrush
- him using my toothbrush to brush my teeth at the same time as me brushing his.
- looking in the mirror to brush his teeth
- brushing his teeth in the bath whilst he was busy playing.

My daughter is almost 2 half. I introduced tooth brushes from an early age thinking it would get her use to them. It did but to the point of where she chews them. Then I introduced toothpaste, she won't even go near strawberry and the likes, only mint. She sucks the toothbrush so the paste comes off, swallows the paste and then asks for more. I understand how frustrating it is because no we don't want our children having rotten teeth full of cavities. There has been given alot of helpful advice to your thread. Take it on board and use it. See what works for you and your daughter. Also go see your dentist. They are usually the best to tell you about teeth management. If your dentist is not particularly child friendly ask to see another in the practice, if there is more than one. Do not overly worry about her teeth being completely clean at this time. As with our children, they are both still very young. She will get used to it and when her big teeth come in, I think it is more important to brush night and day then. With her milk teeth just persist and get her used to the fact of having to brush teeth. I must admit, i cringe myself when I am brushing my teeth with my daughters toothpaste (when she makes me brush my teeth at the same time as her) that it is very powdery. I mean there a fine molecules in it that when I use it, it stays on my teeth and when I chew I can still feel those molecules and it grinds, going straight through me!! So I can understand children, plus brushing creates a very weird feeling and sensation in the mouth for them. As adults we don't notice it. Unfortunately, as other parents are telling me over my daughter's behaviour, it is all about persistance and consistence.

Good luck with it and don't be too hard or be too worried about her teeth.

don't worry

My duaghter did the same at around 2 as well - our dentist said not to worry; as long as she got some toothpaste in her mouth each day it's enough to clean them.

He did say to keep the routine up and eventually she'd get over it and she did - she's 4 now, and wants to clean her teeth pretty much everytime she goes in the bathroom now!
He also mentioned that real fruit juice drinks cause more issues than the kid-friendly squashes - so if you give your child any fruit juice make sure its diluted and only give it once a day. Fructose is bad for tooth decay.

Just keep an eye on her teeth - you'll notice any decay on milk teeth as it shows up as black spots from very early on.

Like the other replies have said get her a "special" toothbrush - maybe get her to choose one for herself? And introduce a reward chart

my two both hated brushing their teeth and then my husband made up a game about what animals he could see in there mouth and now they love it. they 2 and 4 years old. you do have to get imaginitive with the animals though.

A few things may help. Go on to the aqua fresh website and there are little teeth charaters that my dd (2&3) love. Also I sing a song along the lines of 'ticcle those teeth' (the winnie the poo tune) also I brush my teath at the same time and they both have toothbrushes that have glitter in them that shakes when they brush

I would say try an electric toothbrush or battery operated one, and i always say to my ds to look at the spiders on the ceiling and that helps as hes concentrating looking for spiders which arnt there while i do hes teeth x

My mother bought DS a toothbrush with a flashing light. It lights for 60 seconds, and then stops, so DS knows it's time to stop brushing his teeth.
Also, my poor DH gave his toothbrush to our son, and asked him to brush daddy's teeth. DS liked so much, he would brush daddy's teeth every evening! Then my DH would brush DS's teeth.
How about you take your DD to the shop and let her choose her own toothbrush?
DS (just turned 3) picked up a Hello Kitty one a few weeks back, and the moment he finishes his meals he wants to go upstairs to brush his teeth

I got her a barbie toothbrush to play with, she brushes her own teeth then we play a game called caves where her mouth is a cave and as i brush i see what is hiding in the cave, peppa and george, spiders, cats ect

Also i just explained to her that bits of food get stuck and if we dont brush them out her teeth will get sore, she also likes me counting her teeth as i brush..basically just keep her attention while her mouth is open and brush like a mad woman while i get the chance! also i brush at least 3 times a day to ensure a good overall clean by end of the day